YSRCP MLA Unnamatla Eliza joins Congress

Hyderabad, March (IANS) Another sitting MLA of Andhra Pradesh's ruling YSR Congress joined the Congress on Sunday.

Unnamatla Eliza, the YSRCP MLA from Chintalapudi, joined the Congress after meeting the party’s state President Y.S. Sharmila Reddy at her residence in Hyderabad.

Sharmila welcomed Eliza into the party by offering a Congress scarf to him.

Eliza was unhappy with YSRCP leadership after he was denied a ticket for the forthcoming polls.

The YSR Congress has named Kambham Vijaya Raju as its candidate from the Chintalapudi constituency in the Eluru district. Eliza was elected from here in 2019 with a majority of over 36,000 votes.

He is the second sitting MLA of the YSRCP to join Congress in less than a week.

On March 19, Toguru Arthur had joined the Congress. He represents Nandikotkuru constituency in Kurnool district. Arthur, who had worked as chief marshal in the Assembly of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, won the 2019 assembly election on a YSRCP ticket.

The Congress is likely to field Eliza and Arthur from their respective constituencies.

Simultaneous elections to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly and all 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state are scheduled to be held on May 13.